Almost for got to post this because I was so excited that finals were officially over for me. My wikipedia entry was on Aurel Aldea, a Romanian general that led a national resistance to the communist regimes right after World War II. Although the entry does not have too much on it I found that a lot of changes were made as soon as I posted it. Most of them were to make the order and layout more like other wikipedia articles which were necessary since this was my first time posting. The majority of edits came from a single wiki user, but later on a couple more people added some additional information and sources to the post. After about 4 days; however, there were no new additions to my entry. Overall I would say that the assignment went well and that my addition to wikipedia has been successful. It was pretty interesting to see the way changes are made and how the different users contribute.
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Wiki from Keegan
Friday, December 14th, 2007Wikipedia reflection Jim Hamilton
Friday, December 14th, 2007I originally chose ‘Goulash Communism’ as my topic for the Wikipedia assignment on 13 September 2007 because I found it humorous. It was brief and lacking sources so I elaborated using course books and cited them in Wikipedia’s format. It seemed like a good entry, not much attention paid to it yet accurate and connected to other topics.
My entry is changed the same night. A phrase moves from its awkward position at the bottom to the top where it seems just as awkward. Nothing much happens for a month, though the entry is linked in a new language with a paragraph of an entry. On 14 October 2007 the awkward phrases are reorganized into a paragraph though the quotation is obviously in need of citation. Descriptor paragraphs are added near the beginning and end, broadly describing Hungary and the recent Hungarian experience. All these additions are deleted the next day, for generalizing about the topic and having erroneous information. Eight hours later the delete is undone with the addition of a source. One grammatical edit on the 23rd of October and another on the 28th of November.
The experience of this assignment has broadened my concept of where information is accessible and how it should be scrutinized. What I found most interesting is that my work still makes up the bulk of the entry, yet it doesn’t read familiar because of all the additions. Sentences were added and grammar restructured so that my work is no longer solely my own. It seems like a rapid progression of published work, free and open to all yet receiving less attention to varying degrees.
Presentation
Monday, December 10th, 2007I think my presentation went ok, but I rushed through it partly because I knew there were other people who had to present and also that I was pretty nervous. I believe I stated my thesis clearly, but I left out a lot of information. Unfortunately I could only present on the information that I knew by that point. That is what I really wanted to discuss but didn’t have a chance to. After almost 12 weeks of research, I discovered that my initial paper was not going to work. I had to completely start from scratch 3 weeks before the paper was due. I was only able to write this paper because of the help I received from the librarians at the Holocaust Museum Library. Although there is very little information on the Holocaust and the GDR, the librarians found everything I needed in 10 minutes. By the time I had to present, my paper was only partially completed so I shared as much information as I could at that point. Overall, I am pleased with my presentation, but hope to be more prepared for next time. Now I know I need to go directly to an appropriate library before I waste months of research that was useless. The librarians also showed me really useful tips for researching online since that is something that they do all of the time.
Presentation on Škoda
Saturday, December 8th, 2007While I don’t think that my presentation on the Škoda corporation’s acquisition by Volkswagen was horrible, I don’t think that I was quite as clear as I should have been. My argument was essentially that the deal reached between Škoda and Volkswagen was extremely important because it was seen as a test case for foreign investment in Czechoslovakia. Therefore, the deal paved the way for more foreign investment, which in turn aided the Czechoslovakian economy as it transitioned from being centrally planned to operating in the capitalist world market.
To support my argument, I first researched the history of Škoda. I then proceeded to ascertain why the company was so desirable to foreign investors, as well as why the Czechoslovakian government was willing to sell it. Next, I researched the specifics of the deal itself, before ending my research by finding sources on the development of Škoda in the years following the acquisition.
Many of the sources that I used were from English publications written when the events were taking place. I had to be wary of these; some of them had errors that rendered the article unusable, as it was obvious the author had little idea what s/he was talking about. In one case, two articles conflicted, but further research quickly determined which source was faulty. I also used two books that evaluated Czechoslovakia’s need for foreign investment and their steps toward attaining it. One of these included a primary source from Václav Klaus, who became Czechoslovakia’s finance minister in 1990. I also used a book that detailed how the split between the Czech Republic and Slovak Republics took place, from an economic perspective.
I concluded the following things. The cheap, skilled labor in Eastern Europe, coupled with political stability and economic reform, made Czechoslovakia a desirable country for foreign investment. The Škoda company in particular was desirable because it was the largest producer of cars in Eastern Europe. The Czechoslovakian government wanted to sell Škoda because of the company’s need for modernization, which the government could not afford. The resulting deal between Škoda and Volkswagen ended up being extremely profitable. Most importantly, however, it paved the way for further foreign investment in Czechoslovakia, which was essential for the development of the state’s economy.
As I said in class, I chose this topic because I was formerly an Economics major, and I find this sort of thing interesting. I hope that this clears up any confusion that my presentation my have left you with. If you have any questions, feel free to post them here and I will be more than glad to get back to you with an answer.
Presentation on Sports in Yugoslavia
Friday, December 7th, 2007I thought my presentation yesterday about Sports in Yugoslavia went alright. I started off by explaining what was the motive to my topic, which was about the 1992 Olympic when the US Dream Team played the Croatian team in the Final. Since that experience of watching the entire tournament occurred when I was young, it had a lasting effect on me that became part of the inspiration to my paper. I thought I did a decent job of explaining my motive then transition it into the intention of my research paper. From that point on, I relaxed a little and was able to explain each step of my research paper.
I then begin to explain how important it was to understand the history to the break up of Yugoslavia, which helps people understand why there is such an intense rivalry among each other in the Balkan. After briefly informing about the background to Yugoslavia, I then explain the sociology to sports in Communists view. I thought it was also important that people understand why the communists government put such a heavy emphasis on sports. From that point on though, I thought I got a little sloppy with my presentation. I Started off strong initially but I felt like I tailed off towards the end. Part of I felt like was because I ran out of steam… which was a disappointment because I thought I had the audience’s attention from the beginning. I don’t know if I made a strong argument that sports played a role in the Balkan politic, even though it did played a factor to the tensions between the Serbs and the Croats. I finished my presentation by discussing the sources I used for my research, which was mainly newspaper articles for interviews, books about history of Yugoslavia and the sociology behind communist sports, and a video clip I found of a soccer riot in Zagreb. Overall, I did not feel too bad about my presentation, I just wished I finished strong like the way I started in the beginning. Hopefully my presentation made sense and was informative for the class, but I felt I could have definitely improve in some area.
My Presentation
Thursday, December 6th, 2007I realized that I didn’t do very good job to present my topic during the presentation, so I’m trying to make more senses about my research paper here. The reason why I picked this topic was that I was always interested in individuals who inspired others to start something very new and special. Although there were many others who played significant roles during the Revolution of 1989, in my mind, Walesa and Havel were starter and closer of this revolution. While Walesa opened the door to the revolution, Havel actually achieved the revolution by implementing a lot of the revolutionary themes: such as the birth of democratic pluralistic society. Havel and Walesa came from different countries and they were political leaders of different states. Also, they spent quiet different dissident years before the revolution and their political legacies after the revolution were quiet different too. Hence, my argument is that Wałęsa and Havel’s dissimilar political careers and legacies were originated from their quiet different dissident political leadership experiences. I primarily used scholastic books from such a distinguished scholars like Mary Craig, Timothy Garton Ash, John Keane, Eda Kriseová, and Aviezer Tucker. I also used Wałęsa and Havel’s personal memoirs and other writings to prove my thesis. The main problem with my sources was that because of both Havel and Walesa’s rather disappointing presidency, many scholars started to write books and essays that contradicted their previous statements. A great example is Timothy Garton Ash. On his first edition of The Polish Revolution: Solidarity, which was published in 1985, Ash passionately praised Walesa’s achievements as a dissident leader. However, on Ash’s third edition of the same book, which was published in 2002, Ash added about 50 additional pages to criticize Walesa’s dissident political leadership experiences. Not only Ash, but also many other leading Eastern European scholars followed Ash’s lead: self-contradiction. So, it was not easy to find the middle ground to write well-balanced paper on my topic. However, I came to conclusion that Havel and Walesa’s achievements during their dissident years and throughout the revolution was beyond evaluation and their different dissident political leadership experiences deeply influenced their unique political legacies and achievements.
Saeil
O’Donnell: Presentation
Saturday, December 1st, 2007I think the feedback from the presentation was helpful because it touched on some topics that need to be clarified in my paper. Since I have pre-existing knowledge about the army I know what type of training and command structure constitutes a regular army, verses reserve and militias and national the guard. Most readers will not have this type of knowledge so I will have to explain the latter subject before delving into my topic or break it down in terms that are easier to understand. In the paper there are several instances were military jargon was used and needs to be clarified.
The presentation also confirmed that I need to expand upon primary sources; testimonials of officers and militia commanders in particular. Even if I am unable to find as many first hand accounts from combatants as I wish, there will be plenty of room for me to expand on this topic for the 499 version of this class.
I was able to find a primary source that will strengthen my thesis regarding general tactics used by the Yugoslavian military doctrine. I was recently given an SKS, which is just a run of the mill Russian designed rifle. Since I was curious about my rifle I did some research about the rifle and found out Yugoslavia made their own version of the SKS in house, but modified it to fit their needs. Yugoslavian SKS’s are the only type of SKS to have an integral grenade launcher mount. I hypothesized that having the ability to launch grenades would be important to Yugoslavia since they would want as much firepower in the hands of an individual or small team as possible, which is an important part of guerilla warfare. After trolling around in the internet, I came across a gun website that confirmed my hypothesis about the Yugoslavia SKS’s. I’m not quite sure how the mechanics of incorporating a physical gun into my list of works cited, but I’m sure I can easily find out.
As far as my presentation went, I wish I was more formal. Pictures and maps on a PowerPoint would have been more engaging for the class. I was under the impression that it was more of an informal presentation. Thanks for your input, feel free to leave any feedback.
In Eastern Germany, an Exodus of Young Women
Friday, November 9th, 2007The Berlin Wall was torn down but there are still an East and a West Germany. An article in International Herald Tribune talks about the poor job market and the difficulty to keep young people in East Germany.
Rock’n'roll
Monday, November 5th, 2007I found this in the Washington Post this morning. The play, called Rock’n'Roll, is about the “nature of revolution and the human craving for free expression,” and takes place over the course of 22 years in Czechoslovakia, between the Prague Spring and the revolutions in 1989. Unfortunately, it is being performed in New York! Thought I would share.
Sworn Virgins
Thursday, November 1st, 2007I came in late and missed the first 10 minutes or so of the movie, but I saw the rest of the movie for the most part… I came away pretty amazed by the lifestyle these sworn virgins lives in. They basically sacrificed a important aspect of life (family, love, and sexual relationships) and traded it all for equality in the Albania society. Although I was amazed by the value of “being treated as equal,” I can’t help wondering if these women would do the same if they can do it over again. I know the director said that these women stopped wondering “what if’s” a long time ago, and caution us that we lived in a different generation/society than these sworn virgins; but I think it is a worthy question to ask if they regret on missing a huge aspect of life.
I was also curious what was Communists role in all this? What was their view on this practice? It’s hard to believe the government not interfere with this practice at all, even though it only affected a small amount of population. It was unique though to see the respect these women commands in their society… they were treated equally as men and carried themselves no differently than their male counterpart. You can tell by the way they talk to other men and the way their body posture express their mentality. I thought it was a true phenomenal to see such a circumstance in the world we live in today.
I really enjoy the film and felt compassion for some of the women in the film. I wonder what will happen to the 49yrs old who is planning on coming to America. From the conversation she had with the director in the film, it was clear that she lamented following the Sworn Virgin path. She made a complete sacrifice for her family and I wonder if she will receive what she deserves.